Author: squatforpancakes

Superfoods. The new “must have” in the healthy living society. So, first of all, what is a superfood? Superfoods are packed with nutrients to provide the body with vitamins and minerals in order to thrive, survive and just feel amazing!

Growing up, I never knew much about nutrition. I just ate any crap that I could find in the house: pancakes filled with sugar and cinnamon, “vetkoek”, heaps of cookies, etc. When I started staying on my own and learning to cook, I always looked for easy things. A boxed meal or 2 Minute Noodles was for dinner most nights. Unfortunately, we can’t eat like that forever. My belly started growing, my thighs were getting bigger, and I developed that granny arm fat!

I knew I couldn’t carry on like this forever, I might end up being obese! I started looking at the conventional way of doing things: “eat less, move more”. Eating less is not something I strive for. I have a huge appetite. So instead, I knew that I was going to have to eat healthier and start some exercise of some form.

Fast forward a few years and the name Superfood came up a lot. So if you are new to this, Wazoogles is the way to go! Why? Okay, first of all, there a like a kazillion superfoods, where the eff do you start looking? Also, have you seen the prices of these things? It’s actually shocking. So the lovely people at Wazoogles came up with a solution. They made a smoothie range which is packed with all the right superfoods, for a reasonable price.

Not only can you make delicious smoothies, you can make smoothie bowls or bake something yum! They have some amazing date ball recipes as well! Everyone who knows me, know that I am the smoothie bowl queen. So below are my favourite smoothie and smoothie bowl recipes using the amazing Wazoogles brand. I also linked the products which I use.

Choosing the best fitness watch can be a mission. There are so many amazing brands out there these days. Fitbit, Apple Watch, TomTom, Garmin, the list goes on. So the big question is, which one do I choose? I bought my Polar A360 about a year ago. So, I know how you feel. I was reading EVERY review on ALL the watches, making my brain go crazy!

Those of you that follow my Instagram, know that I try to keep things real and honest, so I thought I’d be brutally honest with you guys about what I think about my Polar A360.

Why I chose the Polar A360:

I wanted a heart rate monitor that was not only accurate and small but doesn’t need the body strap. To me at the time, I was already uncomfortable in my own body, why would I add a strap that would maybe make me feel more uncomfortable and bother me when I am busy working out?

I also wanted a waterproof watch. Having the job that I have, my watch sometimes gets dirty and I need to wash it. I don’t feel bad at all taking my watch off and soaking it in the water to really get it clean.

I am not sure if this should be listed under cons, but if you are inactive for an hour, the watch notifies you. No need to feel guilty you get when you’re chilling on the couch, scrolling through Instagram for only “5 mins” and your watch notifies you that you have actually been sitting for an hour! This ensures that you no longer procrastinate.

Unfortunately, not everything can be perfect:

Of course, the watch also has a few flaws. For me, the pros outweigh the cons. The wrist clasp seems to sometimes just open randomly, but there is an extra clamp that ensures the watch won’t fall off.

Also, the watch doesn’t have a GPS, so it’s not ideal for outdoor runners. I am not that much of an outdoor runner so it was okay for me.

Overall pros and cons:

Pros:

Not too bulky

Easy to use the watch

User-friendly app

Long battery life (about a week)

Automatic sleep monitoring

Waterproof to up to 30m

No need for a chest strap

Inactivity alerts

Cons:

Clasp sometimes randomly opening

No GPS

Difficult to set up watch at first – but thanks Google for helping me!

As you can see, the pros outweigh the cons. I am actually not too sure how accurate the watch is regarding the number of calories burnt. More research may have to be done regarding that. Overall, I am super impressed with my watch. I have never had a problem with it and I feel that the heart rate monitor is quite accurate.

The awesome Kirsti (from itsmekirsti) owns the Polar A370, she wrote a review about it here. Go check it out!

I am currently on the road with my family. I have received a request for some yummy roasted veg, just in time for Christmas. Because I’m on the road, no fancy pictures, sorry guys!

This is my favorite quick recipe! I would have roasted veg for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Ingredients:

Any veg

Recipe:

Place veg like butternut, pumpkin, beetroot and sweet potato in the microwave for about 5 minutes, until almost cooked through.

Slice all the veg (zucchini, onion, tomato, mushrooms and the ones you microwaved) into cubes.

Line an oven safe pan with foil. Add all the veg into the pan. Add salt and pepper to the veg. To the butternut and sweet potato, add cinnamon and cumin. To the rest of the veg add some mixed herbs.

Bake in the oven (180 C) for about 30 minutes. If you are a bit in a rush, just increase the temperature of the oven.

Have an amazing Christmas! Remember, this is all about balance. Enjoy the time with your family and don’t overthink things. Go for walks, eat lots of fruit, veg, lean protein and healthy fats. Then you know you deserve that dessert!

Recently, there has been a big hype about protein powder. A few years ago, you would just see a big bulky guy walking out of the fitness shop with a huge jar under his arm. Little did I know that this short girl will do the same someday.

So, a question on many people’s minds – do I need to use protein powder? Quick answer: nope! You can get enough protein from your regular diet. Too much protein actually puts a strain on your kidneys. According to Webmd, the average adult needs about 0,8g of protein per kg of weight per day. Athletes need about 1,1g – 2g of protein per kg of body weight per day.

Why have extra protein powder then?

Protein is needed to build new cells. These cells include muscles, skin, hair, bone and connective tissue. If you do the calculations and see you need some extra protein, a protein powder is a great way of supplementing protein. It is especially important for vegetarians and vegans to ensure that they consume enough protein in a day since plant proteins are not made up of all the essential amino acids (the building blocks of protein).

I’m using myself as an example here – if I do the above calculation, I need about 90g of protein per day. Yes, I can reach that easy with my diet, but let’s be honest here. Having a busy schedule sometimes makes it difficult for us to sometimes even eat during the day. A protein shake or smoothie will just help in having one less thing to worry about.

Which protein powder to choose?

Whey Protein

Whey protein, the most popular one around, is derived from cow’s milk. It is a complete protein, which means it contains all essential amino acids that your body cannot produce on its own. Whey protein is digested quickly, which means it assists in recovery of muscles as it starts to build very shortly after being ingested. Unfortunately, those that are sensitive to lactose, might have a reaction towards this.

2. Casein Protein

Casein protein is also derived from cow’s milk (so watch out if you are lactose intolerant), but it is digested and absorbed very slowly. This results in a gradual and steady exposure of the muscles to the amino acids, which leads to the reduction of the rate of muscle protein breakdown. Due to the slow absorption, casein will leave you fuller for longer, which is good for meal-replacement smoothies as well as an addition to your breakfast.

3. Soy Protein

Soy protein digests at a moderate rate. It contains a big amount of the amino acids glutamine and arginine. These amino acids support the immune function, digestive health as well as brain function. It is a complete protein and considered one of the most effective plant-derived sources for building or maintaining muscle. Soy protein is great for vegans, but many people are also intolerant to soy protein.

4. Pea Protein

Derived from the yellow pea, is the most digestible of the plant proteins. So it is perfect for someone with a sensitive stomach. It is not a complete protein though, so it might be good to pair it with another plant-based protein such as hemp protein in order to make it a complete protein. Pea protein is absorbed slower than whey protein, but faster than casein protein. Pea protein may also reduce blood pressure, but more research is still needed.

5. Hemp Protein

Hemp does not have a high protein content per serving when compared to the other proteins, but it is high in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. Hemp protein is very easily digested. Pair this with pea protein in order to make it a complete protein.

Very important to remember when choosing a protein powder

Ensure that the type of protein is first on the ingredients list. (e.g. if you buy whey protein, ensure whey is the first thing that comes up on the ingredient list)

Watch out for any artificial sweeteners or sugar.

The shorter the ingredient list, the better.

When buying whey protein, try going for grass-fed protein.

So what if I don’t want to buy a protein powder?

As mentioned above, your diet can provide you with enough protein to fuel your muscles. Try the following:

100g chicken = 21g protein

185g cooked quinoa = 8g protein

2 large eggs = 13g protein

100g tofu = 8g protein

100g salmon = 20g protein

Please note I am not a doctor or a dietician. Only providing information from references below in order to assist with making healthy choices.

It has been a long week! Now, it’s finally Friday and all you want to do is relax. I don’t know about you guys, but Friday usually consists of an early dinner and a movie on Netflix. They say “Netflix and Chill”, but for us, it is usually “Netflix and Sleep”. Most nights hubby and I are passed out on the couch before 9pm already.

Before all this “Netflix and Sleep” happens, after dinner – I am craving some dessert! I am always the strong one when it comes to buying chocolate. I convince myself with “you have enough treats” or “you don’t actually have money for this”. Most times this tactic works.

So, along comes last Friday. We are ready to “Netflix and Sleep” and I am craving chocolate. I decided to create my own Healthy Chocolate Recipe. I have cocoa in the house, throw in some coconut oil and milk and there you go. Include some protein powder, and you have a healthy snack as well! It’s a win-win situation. The original recipe I created tasted a little bit oily, so I reduced the amount of coconut oil and added some extra milk to make it extra creamy.

In the world we live in today, we are surrounded by technology and trying to get some freebies (I am all for the freebies!). Technology connects us with different people with interesting cultures and we also see some interesting brands promoting themselves on social media.

I’ve been introduced to the “Instagram world”. In this Instagram world, I have actually made quite a lot of friends. Some I have met, some I haven’t. I connect with brands where I can easily ask them questions regarding their products. These questions vary from the shipping or courier aspect of things to “how legit are your ingredients”. Some companies run competitions. You “tag” someone in a post (probably to spread the word) and a few days later, you may or may not win something. This does not take much, even for a lazy person like me and someone that usually never wins anything, I’ve actually won about 2 or 3 of these competitions.

A week ago, I got the surprise message that I have won a breakfast hamper from Soaring Free Superfoods. Me, being a huge fan/shopper of Wellness Warehouse and Faithful to Nature, have seen and used a few of their products (Absolutely love their Maca Powder!). I was so excited to try out the breakfast hamper, I almost had it for dinner that night!

Included in the breakfast hamper was “Super Chia” – chocolate and vanilla flavour as well as “Super Oats” – also chocolate and vanilla flavour.

What was the first thing on my mind? CHOCOLATE!! So, of course, I had to try the Super Chia Chocolate flavour first. I usually do not count calories, but when trying something new, I also put it into My Fitness Pal first in order to see if I don’t eat either too much or too little in a meal.

On the packet, it suggests 30g of this yumminess. 30g provides you with:

94 calories

10,8g carbs

4,9g protein

2,5g fat

These are not too bad, just a little low on the calories and protein, so I added an extra scoop of protein to the brekkie and added some toppings! I absolutely loved this combo! It is super filling and provides you with all the goodness you need. The ingredients include Chia Seeds, Lucuma, Mesquite Powder, Cocoa Powder, Hemp Seeds, Raw Cocoa Nibs, White Mulberries, Goji Berries and Vanilla Powder.

As you can see, the ingredients are incredible – literally a Superfood Brekkie! For those who don’t know, a Superfood is a nutrient-rich food which is beneficial for your health and wellbeing:

Chia seeds are rich in Omega 3’s and give you loads of energy.

Lucuma contains iron, zinc, vitamin B and protein.

Mesquite has lots of calcium, magnesium, potassium and zinc.

Cocoa Powder is an antioxidant with antidepressant effects.

Hemp Seeds are high in Omega 3, Omega 6 and protein.

Mulberries are rich in vitamin C, K and B2.

Goji Berries are good for your eyes and have cancer-fighting properties.

As you can see, not only will this Superfood Breakfast fill you up with all the healthy things your body needs, you will also have a tasty brekkie which will leave you wanting more!

Note:

*This post is not sponsored, this is purely done because I enjoyed the product so much that I wanted to share it with the rest of the world!

In the time we live in we are always looking for quick fixes. How many times have you typed into Google: “how to lose weight fast” and even “how to make money fast”? Unfortunately, things just don’t happen so easily. Sometimes, all it takes is some plain, old-school hard work. Lucky for you, I made this amazing recipe that will save you loads of time. If you want a quick snack that will fill you up and satisfy your sweet tooth, read along!

I decided to play around with some recipes and created this amazing 5 min Mug Cake Recipe. It is so easy to make, packed with all the nutrients (see benefits of all ingredients below) and you can even personalize it and make it your own!

Contains potassium, which is good for lowering blood pressure and heart health.

It is high in fibre, which aids in digestive health.

Easy to digest (so it’s good when you have a tummy bug)

Contains loads of vitamin C and vitamin B6 (used to grow new cells)

Coconut Flour

High in fibre, protein and healthy fats.

Free from wheat and gluten.

Helps the digestive system by lowering the “bad” cholesterol and serum triglycerides.

Protein Powder

Protein powder is basically a convenient way to add extra protein to your diet – I always explain it in a very simple way: protein powder is like eating loads of egg whites or a chicken breast, just yummier!

Chia Seeds

High in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

High in fibre.

Good for heart health.

Cocoa Powder

Full of antioxidants.

Antidepressant effects (it boosts endorphins)

Maca Powder

Balances your hormones, boosts the immune system and increases energy.

Considered an adaptogen, which means it helps the body adapt to stressors.